The present invention relates to operator mounted machines for removal and demolition of at least one layer of floor covering on a floor. The types of floor coverings that the present machine will remove include, but are not limited to, carpet, vinyl tile, ceramic tile, wood, stone, and other floor coverings that are generally found in residential and commercial buildings.
Floor coverings are often removed in buildings that are being renovated or improved. Removal of floor coverings is usually a difficult and arduous task because the floor coverings are affixed to floors such that they will remain permanently. However in order to install a new floor covering, the prior floor covering usually must be removed. Removing a floor covering by hand is not a viable option because of the difficulty of the task and the amount of areas needed to be covered. Therefore, new improved methods of removing floor covering using operator mounted machines have been invented in which the machine is mounted by an operator who sits atop the machine and controls it during use. The operator mounted type of machine is advantageous in that it is generally safer and more efficient than other known floor covering removal machines.
Contractors often price floor covering removal jobs based upon the amount of time and labor expected to complete the work required. The floor covering removal apparatus of the prior art operator mounted machines utilize a front weight bearing wheel and hydraulically operated scraping blades that lengthen the apparatus. For example, an operator mounted apparatus for removing a surface layer from a floor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,206, issued May 24, 1997 to David B. Craft. The Craft patent related to an apparatus that includes a front weight bearing wheel means, front and rear weight plates, and a hydraulic means for pivoting a support plate and scraping blade. The length of a floor removal apparatus is further increased by the addition of weight plates to the front of the apparatus as taught by the Craft patent. The greater length of a machine like those being discussed increases the area needed for maneuvering the machine, and an increased maneuvering area causes the machines to miss a greater amount of floor area during the floor covering removal process, thus leading to costly inefficiencies of time and labor.
A further problem exists during the removal process when the scraping blade does not remain flush against the floor causing the scraping blade to fail in penetrating and removing the floor covering. The present inventor has found that a primary cause of the scraping blade jumping or slipping out of operating position is that floor covering debris often collects in the path of a rear drive wheel of the machine. The buildup causes the rear wheel that rolls over the buildup to be raised with respect to the other rear wheel. The raised rear wheel changes the plane of the scraping blade, and the blade does not remain flush with the floor causing the blade to jump or slip when stripping floor covering. Prior art devices like that in the Craft patent do not address means for keeping the scraping blade flush with the floor surface when such debris builds up.
A similar problem is addressed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,284 to Lindsey et al., issued Jun. 30, 1998. The Lindsey patent relates to the use of a blade that is mounted to a bearing that changes the roll and pitch of the blade with respect to the floor. However, floor surfaces are generally flat, and it is important that any imperfections in floor surface coverings be removed. The blade in the Lindsey device adjusts to surface contours, adhesive deposits, and similar surface imperfections and may not cut through these imperfections in the floors surface covering.
Thus, while compact operator mounted machines are known for removing floor coverings, these known devices do not solve the problems discussed above.
Prior art apparatuses for removing floor covering do not eliminate the problems with scraping blade efficiency in the removal of floor coverings. When using known machines having scraping blades in fixed horizontal positions, the blades are caused to jump or slip by imperfections and by debris buildup beneath the rear wheels of an apparatus for removing floor covering. A solution to the problem of floor imperfections that teaches a rolling blade creates additional inefficiencies in that the blade may adjust to floor imperfections and contours rather than remove those imperfections. Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a compact and maneuverable floor surface removal apparatus that would eliminate the problems with blade slippage caused by debris buildup beneath the rear wheels of the apparatus during operation.
The floor covering removal apparatus of the present invention provides more efficient removal of carpet, vinyl tile, ceramic tile, wood, stone, and other floor coverings from the floors of residential and commercial buildings. An object of the present invention is to provide a compact floor covering removal apparatus and to provide an apparatus in which the rear wheels of the machine adjust for debris buildups to assist the scraping blade in maintaining flush horizontal contact with the floor covering being removed.
In one embodiment of the invention, the apparatus comprises a machine body frame that is mounted by an operator. A pair of independent suspension assemblies is attached to the rear of the machine on each side. Each suspension assembly supports a drive means such that there is a right drive means and a left drive means that is driven by an integrated hydraulic pump system having a first hydraulic pump and a second hydraulic pump.
The suspension assemblies include pivot shaft assemblies that attach to the rear of the body frame. The outer cylinder of the pivot shaft assembly is attached to the frame. The pivot shaft assembly has a bearing and shaft therein. A suspension bar is pivotally connected to the shaft which is threaded on each end and secured at each end by a nut. The connection of each pivot shaft assembly to each suspension bar provides a means for the suspension bars to pivot with respect to the main body frame. A shock absorber is attached between the suspension bar and the frame body. The degree to which the suspension bars pivot about the pivot shaft assemblies is determined at least in part by the shock absorbers.
The right drive means and left drive means each includes a rear wheel that contacts the floor surface. As a wheel passes over debris on the floor surface, the shock absorbers give with respect to the weight of the main body frame. The main body frame remains fixed in horizontal relation to the floor surface and this maintains the flush horizontal contact of the scraping blade with the floor surface.
To provide adequate penetration of the blade into the floor covering material, additional weight may be added. The present apparatus provides for the operator to vary the pressure within the shock absorbers to adjust to conditions that may be encountered. In addition, the pressure in a shock absorber on one side may be adjusted to change the horizontal angle of the blade with respect to a surface. For more uniform addition of weight to assist the blade in cutting tough floor surfaces, weight plates may be added to weight supporting means on both sides of the machine body, thereby reducing the required length of the apparatus.
Further, a means is provided for transporting the apparatus comprising a detachable front wheel. When, the apparatus is in use for removing floor covering, the front wheel is removed to further reduce the length of the apparatus and improve the apparatus maneuverability. Adding to the safety of the apparatus, the front wheel attaches to the blade holder such that the blade must be removed when the front wheel is attached to the machine.